Donald Holst Clausen was born April 27, 1923, on his father’s dairy farm in Ferndale, California. He played semi-professional baseball in his youth — profiles noted he was an ambidextrous pitcher — and attended several colleges in California and Utah before his military service in World War II. Don Clausen Multi-sport Athlete Clausen graduated from elementary and high schools of Ferndale, where he was an honors student and lettered five sports: tennis, track, basketball, football and baseball as well as being the drum major of the school band. Don Clausen pitched for the Crescent City Merchants in the 1950s. ... Crescent City Nine Wins Over Arcata Chiefs The Times Standard (Eureka, CA) 24 Jul 1954 An explosive fourth inning barrage that netted the Crescent City Merchants seven runs sent the Arcata back to their teepees ... Crescent City also employed two twirlers with starter Orv Olaen giving way to another righthander, Don Clausen, in the seventh. ...
Learn about ambidextrous pitchers – from Little League to the MLB.